Sausage-cleaning machine.



No. 658,428.v vPatented Sept. 25, |900.

G. W. CONSTANTENE.

SAUSAGE GLEANiN'G MACHINE.

(Apgliction. led May 17, 1900.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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No. 658,428. Patented sept. 25, |900.

G. w. coNsTANTlNE. 1

SAUSAGE CLEANING MACHINE.

(Application med May 17, 1900i) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shed 2.

Mlttorneg/ We: mams PETERS co, murcun'ua, wAsnmamN. u. c.

No. 658,428. l Patented sept. 25, |900. G. w. cottsTANTtNE.

SAUSAGE CLEANINGl MACHINE.

(Application led May 17, 1900.) (N0-Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Z55 Attorney UNITE Sterns "ATENT SAUSAGE-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,428, dated sememter25, 1906.

Application filed May 17. 1900. Serial No. 16,990. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, GEORGE W. CONSTAN- TINE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sausage-CleaningMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful machine for washing andcleaning sausages, so as to relieve them of the mold of fungous growthwhich forms upon them during the weeks and months they are heldsuspended t0 complete their curing and drying.

The invention consists of the parts and the constructions andcombinations of parts, which I shall hereinafter describe and claim.

In the manufacture of what is known as summer sausage the sausages areusually tied with strings and hung on sticks, which for convenience inhandling are usually about seven-eighths of an inch thick, one andthree-fourths inches wide, and about four feet long. From each of suchsticks are suspended from eight (8) to twelve (l2) pieces, more or less,of sausage of various lengths, according to the several kinds of sausagemade, some of which may hang twelve inches from the stick, while othersmay hang as much as forty inches therefrom. The sausages remainsuspended or hanging from these sticks throughout the several steps orprocesses of the curing and drying and up to the time of packing theminto boxes for shipment. To thoroughly cure and dry the sausage requiresseveral months, and during this period of time a mold willform upon thesausage and which, being a fungous growth, will in time destroy them forcommercial purposes and greatly deteriorate them for all purposes. Inthe presence of dampness and during seasons of long rain the formationand growth of the mold is more rapid and pronounced, and the sausages,in order to preserve them and rid them of the deleterious mold, are moreor less frequently removed and washed in warm water and brushed by handand then wiped dry and again hung up for further curing and drying. Totake the place of this slow and expensive handling and hand manipulationof the sausages and to devise a machine in which the sausages arebrushed and washed more thoroughly and at less expense than when theseoperations are conducted by hand is the essential object of the presentinvention, the machine being so designed that the sticks from which thesau sages are suspended are attached to a carrier and the sausages drawnin contact with brush-rollers, the machine handling the sausages withoutremoving the latter from the sticks and one operator taking the sticksfrom a truck and placing them on the carrier, while another' operator atthe opposite side removes the sticks from the carrier and places themupon a truck, by which they are conveyed to the curing and drying roomor place where they were before suspended.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of referenceindicate correspending parts throughout the several views, Figure lis aside elevation of a sausage washing and cleaning machine embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same with parts broken away andshown in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing a `side View ofthe train of gearing for driving the brushes and a part of the frame andmeans for adjusting the slidable brush. Fig. Ilis an end view of Fig. 3.Figs. 5,6, 7, 8, and 9 are details'to be hereinafter referred to. Fig;l0 is a detail of one of the movable boxes for the brush G.

In said drawings, Arepresents awater tank or vat of any desired andappropriate construction, capacity, and design, and B represents twostandards or sides forming a framework,which extends vertically abovethe tank or vat and may be supported on or formed with the latter, asmay be desired. At the front the standards or frames B converge fromtheir bases toward their upper ends, and at said upper ends of eachstandard are suitably mounted sprocket-wheels a a. Passing transverselythrough hollow shafts A2, fixed in the tank or vat A, are the shafts CD, the ends of which project beyond the outer sides of the tank or vatand have secured to them sprocket-wheels b b', around which and thesprocket-wheels ct a at the top of the side frames B pass the endlesschains or carriers E, the upper and lower portions of which travel inhorizontal planes, while .the front and rear portions are inclined tothe vertical, as shown. To maintain the chains or car- IOO riers underproper tension and to take up any slack in them, I prefer to mount theends of the shaft C in boxes @which are movable in guides (l by means ofadjusting-screws e. Various forms of belt-tighteners may be used forthis same purpose. limit myself to the form of devices shown forregulating the tension of the chains or carriers. l

Above the tank or vat A and suitably mounted in boxes or bearings ff',formed in or secured to arms or brackets gol' other rigid part of theframework, are the horizontal transverse shafts F F' of parallel brushesG G', one of which, G, is fixed, while the other, G', is movable towardand from its companion. Rotary motion is imparted to said brushes byreason of a train of suitable gearing H, pulley H', belt I, and a pulleyon the power-shaft J, which latter shaft is provided with fast and loosepulleys K K' and-is appropriately' mounted in boxes or bearings in thestandards S.

In addition to their rotation the brushes G G' are intended to have areciprocating endwise movement to better facilitate their cleaningaction, such reciprocating movement being produced b v levers L L', theformer being connected with the brush G and fulcrumed at h and havingits upper end forked and slotted ate to engage pins 3 on a divided ring2, loosely fitting a collar 7 on an outer end of the brush-shaft, andhaving its lower end pivotally fitted to a rod or link 4J, which is inturn connected with a crank or wrist pin t, projecting from a disk Z ona short shaft fm,

`mounted in bearings fn, supported from the tank or vat. This shaft m isalso provided with a miter-gear o, which meshes with asimilar gear p onthe shaft D, which carries the sprocketwheels '19', power beingcommunicated to the said shaft D by means of a second sprocket-Wheel b2on the power side of the machine, engaged and operated by a chain orbelt fr, driven by a sprocket-wheels on the main power-shaft, as shownin Fig. 2.

The lever L', which actuates the brush G', which has its shaft mountedin slidable boxes f', has its upper end forked to engage said shaft,while the lower end of the lever is connected by a ball or swivel jointat 51, Fig. 6, with a link or rod i', projecting from a disk l' on theend of the shaft fm opposite to the disk Z, said lever being fulcrumedat z in a bearing havinga plate or block 6, movable in a curved slot 5,which is struck from the universal joint at 51 to allow the lever toperform its functions when the slidable box f' is pushed in or out, as Iwill presently describe. From this arrangement it will be apparent thatas the brushes are rotated by the belt and gearing before alluded to thedisks l Z' are rotated in planes transverse of the machine, and thelevers L are rocked about their fulcrum-points, and thereby induce anendwise movement of the brushes, the shafts which carry the latter beingsufficiently long Therefore I do not between the bearings or boxes toprovide for this movement, and the combined rotary andlongitudinallyreciprocating movement insures every part of the sausagebeing operated upon and cleansed of its mold or foreign matter.

In addition to the foregoing move ments the brushes are movable onerelative to the other#n that is, the brush G' is so mounted that it maybe moved relatively toward and from the companion brush, therebyincreasing and diminishing the distance between the two. To effect thispurpose, the shaft of the brush G' is provided with forwardlyprojectingarms 10, which are loose thereon and are pivotally connected with armsor levers M,'slidably mounted on a transverse shaft 12, said shafthaving a crank or armi12', pivotally connected with a rod or connection13, leading to and pivotally connected with a pivoted foottreadle N, asshown in Fig. 1, whereby when said treadle is depressed by the operatorthe shaft 12 is turned in its bearings, and the arms or levers M actupon the shaft F' of the brush G', and said brush and its shaft andboxes are pushed inward toward the brush G, the lever L' swinginglaterally about its centers of motion to accommodate this movement.

To secure the brushes to their shafts and to permit their removalwithout dismembering a large part of the machine, I have shown the shaftdivided transversely, Fig. '7, so as to form two end portions and anintermediate portion F3, the former being mounted to turn and slide in'the boxes and their inner ends being formed with dovetailed sockets 54,adapted to receive corresponding ends on the intermediate portion F3 ofsaid shaft, a pin 55 being employed, if desired, to hold the dovetailedparts in place. The distance between the brushes and their pressure uponthe sausages, which are carried between them by the endless chains orcarriers, are thus regulated by the foot movement of an operator.

Above the brushes G G' and supported by a bracket or platform 14 orsupporting means of any well-known character I arrange a double row ofvertical brushes O O', which are mounted in a slidable frame 23 and theshafts 15, Fig. S, of which have secured to their lowerends mitcr-gears16, which mesh with similar gears 17 on parallel transverse shafts 18,suitably mounted beneath the platform or bracket and rotated by powerfrom belts 19 20, driven from the main power-shaft. These Verticalbrushes rotate in Opposite directions and are disposed just above thehorizontal brushes, and the sausages, which are suspended from thedryingsticks carried by the chains or carriers, are drawn between thedouble row of brushes, as shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, andfurther cleaned by the action of these supplemental brushes. The shaftsof the vertical brushes pass thro ugh slots in the bracket or platformof such width that said brushes may be moved in and out simullaneouslywii'h the movement of the horizontal brushes and by the samemovement of the foot-treadle N, this movement being effected by means ofa rock-shaft having an arm or lever 21 anda rod 22, connecting a crankor arm lO on the shaft with the treadle, the arm or lever 21 beingconnected with the sliding frame 23, mounted on top the bracket orplatform 14 and carrying the vertical brushes.

Between the vertical brushes the sausages are carried while suspendedfrom dryingsticks, which are detachably hung upon the chains orcarriers.

In connection with the brushes perforated pipes 60, Fig. 2, may beemployed to distribute water to the brushes to facilitate theiroperation. Such pipes will be connected with some form of pump 62,deriving its. water from the tank or vat; but other means of supplyingthis water may be used, and the .several detailed parts herein shown anddescribed may be modied without materially altering the scope of thepresent invention. I therefore do not limit myself to the preciseconstructions and arrangement shown and described.

In operation the drying-sticks and their hanging sausages are broughtfrom the drying` and curing roorn on trucks, and an operator places thesticks in notches formed in the frame at about the point G4, thesausages being passed into the hopper 63 and hanging in the water of thetank or vat A. The chains engage the stick and carry the sausages upwardin the direction of the arrow through the main and supplemental brushes,the sausages being washed and scrubbed during their passage and afterbeing removed with their sticks at the opposite side of the chains areagain sent to the drying-room, or they may be wiped dry by hand orrolled in rdry sawd ust and sent through a drying apparatus (not shown)and subsequently packed for shipment.

A machine of this character will handle a given amount of sausage atless than onethird of the expense incurred by hand labor, one machine ina ten-hours actual run cleaning over iive hundred sticks of sausage perhour, aggregating for the ten hours over one hundred and fifty thousandpounds of sausage handled and cleaned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a main frame having means for supporting thearticles to be cleaned, of vertically-traveling chains or carriers,opposing brushes between which the chains or carriers pass and means forrotating the brushes, said chains or carriers capable of removing thearticles from their support on the frame and transporting them. betweenthe brushes.

2. In a sausage-cleaning machine, the combination with a main. frame, ofendless side chains or carriers one upon each side of said frame andbetween which the sausages are detachablysuspended; independent,horizontal, parallel shafts extending transversely across said frame,opposing horizontally-extending brushes on said shafts and between whichthe sausages are drawn by the chains or carriers, and means for rotatingsaid brushes. I

In a sausage-cleaning machine, the combination of a main frame,vertically-traveling chains or carriers one upon each side of said frameand between which the sausages are suspended, horizontal parallelbrushes between which the sausages are drawn by the carriers, means forrotating the brushes and means for reciprocating the brushes endwisesimultaneously with their rotation.

4. In a sausage-cleaning machine, the combination of a main frame, atank or vat, vertically-traveling chains or carriers one upon each sideof said frame and from which the sausages are detachably suspended,opposing horizontal brushes between which the sausages are .drawn by thecarriers, means for rotating the brushes, bearings inwhich the axes ofthe shafts are slidably mounted and means for reciprocating the brushesendwise simultaneously with their rotation.

5. In a sausage-cleaning machine, the combination of a main frame,vertically-traveling chains or carriers one upon each side of said frameand between which the sausages are detachably suspended,horizontal,oppositelyrotatable brushes between which the sausages aredrawn by the carriers, vertical brushes above the horizontal brushesand'between which the sausages pass after leaving the former, and meansfor rotating the brushes.

6. In a sausage-cleaning machine, the combination of a main frame, atank or vat, vertically-traveling chains or carriers one upon each sideof said frame and from which the sausages are detachably suspended, adouble series of spaced opposing brushes between which the sausages aredrawn by the carriers, one of said series of brushes arrangedsubstantially at right angles to the other, means for rotating thebrushes of each series in opposite directions and means forreciprocating the brushes of one series simultaneously with theirrotation.

7. In a sausage-cleaning machine, the combination of a main frame, atank or vat, vertically-traveling chains or carriers one upon each sideof said frame and from which the sausages are detachably suspended,opposing horizontal brushes between which the sausages are drawn by thecarriers, means for rotating the brushes in opposite directions, andmeans for moving one of said brushes toward and from its companion,

8. In a sa usage-cleaning machine, the combination of a main frame, atank or vat, vertically-traveling chains or carriers one upon each sideof said frame and between which IOS IIO

Y sausages are suspended, vertically-'disposed brushes arranged inopposing pairs and between which the sausages are drawn by the carriers,means for rotating the brushes, and means for moving them relativelytoward and from each other.

l0. Inasausage-cleaning'machine,tlie combination of a main frame, a tankor vat, vertically-traveling chains or carriers, one upon each side ofthe frame, vertically-disposed opposing brushes and means for rotatingthe same in opposite directions, and means including a pivoted treadle,a crank-shaft, a slidable frame and connections between it and the shaftwhereby the brushes are movable in horizontal planes.

11. Inasausagecleaningmachine,thecom bination of a main frame, a tank orvat, vertically-traveling chains or carriers one upon each side of theframe for transporting the sausages, a pair of horizontal brushesbetween which the sausagesl are drawn by the carriers, and means forreciprocating the brushes including fulcrumed levers connected with thebrush-shafts and a crank mechanism yconnected with the levers.

l2. In a sausage-cleaning machine,the combination of a main frame, atank or vat, ver; tically-traveling chains or carriers one upon eachside of the frame, horizontal parallel brushes and means for rotatingthe same in opposite directions, a double row of oppositely-rotatin gvertical brushes above the horizontal brushes, parallel shafts, gearingbe; tween the shafts and the axes of the several vertical brushes, and`means connecting the shafts with the power.

13. A sausage-cleaning machine including a Water tank or vat, verticalframes or sides rising therefrom, sprocket wheels on the frames andtank, endlessehain carriers one near each vertical side and engaging thesprocket wheels, horizontal and vertical brushes arranged in opposingpairs and be-4 tween which the sausages are drawn by the carriers, meansfor rotating the brushes of each series in opposite directions, andmeans for `opening and closing the horizontal brushes.

In testimony whereof 1 have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. CONSTANTINE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE C. CARRoTHERs, BERT C. COCHRAN.

